The Black Rose

by Diana Sweeney

  “Why can’t you tell me?” Wilhelmina asked, “Is it something I did?”

  “No,” Jerome said wishing she would stop trying to hold him back. “Look, it’s not your fault, I can’t….” He stammered and before he had time to think, he felt her lips against his. His heart melted in that kiss and all feelings for Edolie were forgotten. Wilhelmina’s eyes widened. She was too in shock at first to pull away, but once she realized what was happening, she panicked.

  “Wh-What are you doing?” Wilhelmina exclaimed as she pulled away from him.

  “I-I” Jerome stuttered, but his heart couldn’t take it. He lost all will to fight the curse that caused him to love Wilhelmina. “I love you,” He declared.

  Jerome’s eyes went from a bright blue to a dark gray. The curse was controlling him and he had lost all will to fight it. Wilhelmina hadn’t noticed his eyes change color from the shock. She was not expecting this and she could feel him staring at her with longing. She began to panic.

  “You’re to marry my sister,” Wilhelmina said feeling as if the world was shattering beneath her feet, “You can’t love me. I don’t, I don’t love you.” She shook her head defiantly. It was true; she liked someone else.

  “I won’t marry her, I’ll marry you,” Jerome said grabbing her hand, “You’re a princess too, it’ll work out.”

  “I-I can’t,” Wilhelmina said pushing him away, “You’ll marry Edolie and don’t you dare call off the wedding.” She looked at him with a stern face despite the tears forming in her eyes, “You love her, I’ve seen you with her, you just have pre-wedding nerves.” She stammered trying to make sense of what was happening, “Just don’t do anything stupid!” With that said, Wilhelmina ran up the stairs to her room.

  Wilhelmina fell down on her bed and sobbed. How could that have happened? Since when did Jerome love her? She had seen him with Edolie. They were happy together. What happened? She was so confused and hurt. Wilhelmina knew it, knowing secrets only made things worse and now she might have ruined her sister’s wedding. She prayed that Jerome would forget about her and marry Edolie. She didn’t love him, so she wouldn’t marry him either way, but she didn’t want to hurt her sister.

  Wilhelmina ended up crying herself to sleep and woke up the next day to the sun shining through her window. She blinked at the brightness as she crawled out of bed. When she stood up, she noticed she was still wearing the same lavender dress she was wearing yesterday. The memories of last night came back to her and she began to sob. Why did that have to happen?

  Once she had managed to stop crying, she washed up and changed clothes before heading down for breakfast. She hoped Jerome had forgotten everything about last night and secretly prayed that it had only been a very bad dream. However, she could still feel his lips against hers and knew there was no use in denying what happened. Her lips had been tainted.

  Wilhelmina took a deep breath to calm herself. She didn’t want to look as if she had been crying. She needed to act as if nothing had happened last night in case she did run into Jerome and Edolie. However, to her surprise, Milly was sitting at the dining table when she arrived instead of Edolie and Jerome. Wilhelmina hurried over to take a seat across from her friend as a maid quickly went to get her some breakfast.

  Milly was not just an ordinary maid, so she had some special privileges, such as eating with the family and being allowed to attend balls. She also wore a different uniform than all the other maids. The other maids wore the traditional black dresses and white aprons, while Milly wore a red dress. She had a white apron that she only wore when working. Milly was older than Wilhelmina, but instead of acting like her nanny, she had been her dearest friend.

  Milly smiled, “I finally got a break.” There was no way she could avoid Wilhelmina now. She also knew it was wrong of her to do so, after all it wasn’t Wilhelmina’s fault and avoiding her wouldn’t make the problem go away. In the end Milly just had to pretend that she never overheard the conversation in King Wilhelm’s study.

  “So do you have the day off?” Wilhelmina asked as Milly finished swallowing down a piece of sausage.

  “Unfortunately no,” Milly sighed, “I just have time to eat breakfast. Edolie’s freaking out because the wedding’s in two days. We’ve changed the decorations more than five times this week! I’m surprised she’s giving us time to eat!” Wilhelmina giggled. The maid then returned with a plate filled with sausage and eggs, and a glass of milk for Wilhelmina. She thanked the maid before returning her attention to Milly.

  “So did you find anything in the library?” Wilhelmina asked as she sliced a piece of sausage with her knife.

  “No,” Milly huffed, “There wasn’t a single other book that mentioned….” She stopped as she heard a shrill laughter, which was clearly Edolie and another deeper sounding laugh, which must have been Jerome. Wilhelmina swallowed her sausage as she turned to see Edolie and Jerome enter the dining room.

  “Good,” Wilhelmina thought as she went back to eating her breakfast. Jerome seemed to act as if nothing had happened, which was what she had hoped for. However, Wilhelmina planned on avoiding him as much as possible until after the wedding. It seemed the tables had turned and Wilhelmina was now the one avoiding him.

  “Good morning,” Milly said politely as Jerome and Edolie sat down at the table. She curtsied to them before taking her plate and heading into the kitchen. Wilhelmina curtsied as well and left. She would finish her meal in the kitchen with Milly.

  “Those two sicken me,” Milly muttered as she began washing the dishes in the sink. Wilhelmina had lost her appetite and handed her plate to a maid. She held on to her glass of milk though.

  “Milly,” Wilhelmina sighed. It was no use, Milly would always be upset that Wilhelmina wouldn’t be queen.

  “I just can’t help it,” exclaimed Milly, “It’s just not fair.”

  “A lot of things aren’t,” Wilhelmina commented before finishing off her milk. Milly took the glass from her as soon as she had emptied it. “Is something wrong?” Wilhelmina asked. Milly seemed even more agitated than usual, but then again, she had never been under so much pressure before.

  “I’m fine, it’s just the wedding and all,” Milly sighed as she finished washing a pot, “Sorry, but I really need to work, but I’ll see you after the wedding. Things will go back to normal then.” She smiled and Wilhelmina returned the smile.

  “Alright, I’ll let you be,” Wilhelmina gave Milly a hug before leaving the kitchen. She knew she would only get in the way and she didn’t want to add to Milly’s stress.

  “Oh Mina,” Milly sobbed as she watched her friend exit the kitchen. She knew things would never be the same after the wedding. There was no way they could be once Wilhelmina found out the truth. To die alone was a sad and unfair fate. Milly truly wished that there was something she could do.

  Chapter 9

  The day had arrived. It was a beautiful warm, sunny day. The last day of summer. Some of the trees were already changing color and a slight breeze warned that autumn was on its way. However, as nice of a day as it was, there was no time to enjoy it.

  Wilhelmina was stuck running around with the other bridesmaids. Her dress fit perfectly, but others were having last minute dress woes. Bianca had gained some weight and her dress didn’t quite fit. The dress maker was doing her best to make a last minute fix. Edolie was freaking out because she couldn’t remember what her dress looked like while a few maids were helping her put it on.

  The castle itself was in a race to get last minute decorations done for the reception. The ball room was covered in pink and white streamers, the colors Edolie had chosen for her wedding. There were white and pink roses everywhere. The tables were covered in white linens and at the center of each round table was a vase full of pink and white roses.

  The maids even had to wear pink frilly dresses and white aprons. Milly frowned as Wilhelmina walked past her in the hall. Wilhelmina mouthed an “I’m sorry” before racing off after the other bridesmaids. They
were going to be late for the church. She felt bad for Milly who dreaded the puffy sleeve, but it’s what Edolie wanted so Milly would just have to put up with her dress for the day.

  The church had also been decorated in pink and white. Pink and white roses lined the pews and window sills. The aisle was lined with a white runner and there were pink petals scattered along the side. A flower girl added more pink petals on the runner as she made her way down the aisle.

  Delaney quickly handed Edolie her bouquet of pink roses before taking her place in line. The bridesmaids were all in their pink dresses and their bouquets consisted of white roses. The groomsmen lined up next to them. They were all wearing white, and each one would escort the bridesmaids down the aisle.

  Wilhelmina felt nervous as she waited for her turn to enter. She was afraid Jerome would call off the wedding. She prayed he would marry Edolie and everything would be alright, but she had an uneasy feeling as she walked down the aisle with her partner, who happened to be Jerome’s brother.

  Prince Jerome was no longer wearing his classic dark blue and gold uniform that represented his kingdom, but white and gold instead, which was the traditional uniform the groom wore if he was marrying into a kingdom. He stood at the altar of the church, next to the priest, waiting for his bride.

  Jerome had not forgotten that he kissed Wilhelmina and feared her presence in the church would make him lose it. He started to feel nervous as the string quartet began to play and the bridesmaids entered. Then, as soon as he saw Wilhelmina enter, his heart pounded fast. He formed a fist behind his back hoping to resist the powers of the curse, but her smile continued to suck him in.

  Wilhelmina could feel Jerome’s eyes on her and she felt worried. She smiled hoping that he would understand that she didn’t think ill of him. She just wanted him to marry Edolie and for everything to go back to normal. She took her place next to Shirley and then the song changed to the classical wedding march.

  King Wilhelm wore his red and gold uniform as he walked his beautiful daughter, Edolie down the aisle. Edolie’s dress was magnificent. The dress had laced sleeves and the bottom of the dress had glittering diamonds scattered all over. The train on her dress was as long as her veil. Her hair was done up and on top sat a gold crown. Everyone stood as the two entered and Wilhelmina squeezed her bouquet of white roses to prevent her nerves from showing and was glad that the thorns had been removed. She looked over at Jerome who appeared to be staring blankly at Edolie. He didn’t smile or show any sign of acknowledging her. He looked at her and Wilhelmina felt her heart sink. She had to go, she couldn’t be here.

  Once Edolie arrived at the altar, the priest began to speak. Wilhelmina gripped her bouquet tighter and wished for both of them to say I do. She wanted everything to be alright, but silence fell as Wilhelmina happened to drop her bouquet right when the priest said, “If anyone objects to this marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace.”All eyes were on Wilhelmina, including Jerome’s, and then everything went downhill.

  “I object,” Jerome said.

  “Don’t,” Wilhelmina mouthed, but Jerome smiled at her and she felt her heart sink. His once blue eyes had turned gray.

  “I can’t marry Edolie because…” The room gasped and fell silent. Edolie burst into tears and Jerome’s father stood up, angry at his son. His wife yanked him down before he could yell.

  “No,” Queen Henrietta panicked as she tightened her grip on her husband’s hand.

  “I love Wilhelmina,” Jerome finished and as soon as he finished the ground began to shake. People began shouting and screaming. Wilhelmina had no idea what was going on. She just stood were she was too afraid to move. Edolie had fainted and King Wilhelm and Queen Henrietta hurried to her side. Jerome had also fallen to the floor. What was going on?

  Milly kept herself busy making the reception area look perfect for Edolie. She was trying hard not to think of Wilhelmina. She knew Wilhelmina would soon learn the truth and nothing would ever be the same again. Milly bit her lip to hold back tears as she straightened out the linen on one of the round tables. The other maids were all doing the same, so no one noticed the tears filling Milly’s green eyes.

  All of a sudden the ground began to shake, and the perfect work the maids had put into making the reception area look lovely, was all for nothing. Plates fell off the tables and shattered. Vases followed in pursuit, leaving a mess of roses and water on the floor. The chandelier above swayed dangerously, causing the maids to scream and run out of the room. Milly ran as well. Behind her she could hear the loud crash of the chandelier hitting the floor. She hoped that all the maids had made it safely out of the room. What on earth was going on?

  She continued to follow the other maids toward the palace exit, but stopped when she noticed it was pouring outside. The maids all gathered in front of the door. Thunder roared and shook the palace, and then the ground stopped shaking. The maids took deep breaths in relief and then gasped as the rain had turned to snow.

  “What on earth?” Milly said looking up at the dark gray sky. It was too soon for winter and she had very bad feeling about this.

  The sky darkened and rain came pouring down. Lightning flashed across the sky and the thunder drowned out the cries of the people in the city. A black cloud had appeared behind Wilhelmina. She didn’t even notice it and remained frozen in spot staring at the scene before her. The frantic look of her mother’s face alarmed Wilhelmina, but before she could react she felt someone’s arms wrap around her waist. She was too shocked to try to resist. The last thing she heard was her mother screaming her name before everything went black.

  “Wilhelmina! Wilhelmina!” Queen Henrietta screamed as she ran to her daughter, but the black cloud had taken her before she could get to her. Henrietta fell to her knees and sobbed. This wasn’t supposed to happen. They had protected her for so long. They had done everything to prevent this. What did they do wrong?

  The ground stopped shaking as Wilhelmina disappeared and the storm outside turned to snow instead. King Wilhelm feared for Edolie. Her forehead was burning up and beads of sweat were beginning to form. King Wilhelm had a servant fetch the best doctor in Aridale. Jerome had also fainted and was being tended to by his parents.

  “We’ll take care of the boy, you need to get back to your kingdom,” King Wilhelm said.

  “You should have killed her,” King Baudouin growled.

  “Baudouin,” Isadora said grabbing her husband’s hand, “Calm down. The council allowed her to live. Jerome is fine, he’s just unconscious.” She turned her attention to her other son and daughter in law, “Nicholas, Loretta, head back home and have a message delivered to the council. We’ll follow after you.”

  “Yes mother,” Nicholas bowed before grabbing his wife’s hand and leading her out towards the carriages.

  “Now, let’s go, King Wilhelm and Queen Henrietta will watch over Jerome,” Isadora said to her husband, “The council will want to discuss this.”

  “Yes,” King Baudouin spoke still feeling bitter, “But if anything happens to my son, you will pay.” He then followed Isadora out of the church.

  King Wilhelm picked up his daughter and called for a couple of guards to carry Jerome. “Let’s go,” He said to his wife. Queen Henrietta nodded and followed her husband. She was still crying over the loss of Wilhelmina.

  When they arrived at the palace, the maids awaited their orders. Some were told to help move a bed into Edolie’s room, the rest were told to clean up. The maids did as told, except Milly.

  “What’s going on? Where’s Wilhelmina?” Milly asked ignoring orders to clean up the mess in the ball room.

  “It is none of your concern, get back to work,” King Wilhelm barked at her before heading up the staircase. He was carrying Edolie and Milly’s eyes widened in shock. The King had never yelled at her, so she did as told, but she knew something awful had to have happened. She would try asking someone else later.

  King Wilhelm laid his youngest daughter down on her bed.
The guards laid Jerome down on the bed the maids had brought in. The maids then hurried back down to the ball room to help the others clean.

  Queen Henrietta was still sobbing, but this time not only for the loss of Wilhelmina, but in fear that she might lose Edolie. She loved both her daughters dearly and did not want to lose either of them.

  As the doctor arrived to check on Edolie so did another visitor, Yolande. She entered the room without invitation. “So it has happened,” She said as she looked over Edolie. No one said anything since enchantresses were known to come when they deemed it necessary. It was not a shock that Yolande should arrive when such chaos was happening in Aridale.

  “Yolande, please, is there anyway….” Queen Henrietta begged and the enchantress put her hand up to stop her.

  “There are two options at this point,” Yolande said, “Wilhelmina must die, or you must kill the source of the magic.”

  “Who is it that has done this?” King Wilhelm demanded, “Who gave us this cursed child?”

  “Wilhelm!” Henrietta exclaimed as she sobbed. Wilhelmina was her beloved daughter. She was their first born. It wasn’t her fault that she had been cursed.

  “You know him well,” Yolande said looking at the king, “It was my mistake to take him so lightly.”

  “The cursed sorcerer,” King Wilhelm gritted his teeth as he remembered Lord Endymion Melanthius, “I should have known. I shouldn’t have let my guard down.”

  “You should also know,” Yolande began as she noticed Jerome and Edolie were waking up, “That what Jerome said was not true.”

  “You don’t….” Edolie began turning to face Jerome.

  “It was the curse,” Jerome said standing up, “I never… I didn’t…” Yolande raised her hand to silence him.